Image by Getty Images via @daylife I wish that most of the fans here in Denver had some kind of football background. Then they could start making comments that make sense or at least have some kind of legitimacy to them. I keep hearing about how Kyle Orton is terrible and that Tim Tebow is the saving grace of the Denver Broncos. There are 2 reasons why I have an issue with this.First off, Kyle Orton is a very good QB. He's not great but he is a very smart guy who has proven time and time again that he can run the offense and that he is a winner. This guy spent a few years backing up one of the worst starting QB's in league history because the coaching staff in Chicago couldn't look past his physical attributes. The QB position in the NFL isn't all about physical capability. It is mostly about knowing your capabilities and playing within them. Orton knows his limits, what he does well, and what he can't do. Every week he prepares so that he puts himself in a position to be successful and for the most part he has been. You can't look at the record here in Denver and put that on Orton. The defense has been terrible for years and other than the last 2 weeks Orton has played solid ball.
Reason number 2 has to do with knowing limitations of play and what the fans aren't seeing. Tim Tebow throws a football like it were a baseball. Some may say that, well a MLB pitcher can throw 100 mile an hour fastball so what is the big deal. These people don't know football. a football is meant to be thrown from the ear not the hip. This allows for the QB to make his decision as to where to throw the ball and get it out of his hands very quickly. Tebow has a very long throwing motion because he drops the ball to his hip before he brings it to his ear and then releases it. He has worked very hard to convince people that the motion is changing and that he can play at the next level, but so far he hasn't changed anything. Why is a slow release so terrible. I'll tell you.
There are 3 plays that are huge momentum shifters for a defense: the sack, the fumble, and the interception. A QB with Tebows throwing motion is more apt to be plagued by all three. By taking more time to get the ball out of his hands Tebow allows the defense more time to collapse the pocket and get to him for a sack. By dropping the ball to his hip to begin his throwing motion he leaves the ball unprotected for a longer amount of time compared to most QB's in the league. This allows pass rushers a greater opportunity to knock the ball out of his throwing hand and even puts the ball in an easier place for it to get stripped. Defensive backs and linebackers all read the QB during a pass play. Since it takes Tebow so long to release the ball after he makes up his mind where to throw it, it gives the defense a better opportunity to break on the ball and either break up the play or get the intervention. Did anyone else notice what happened on Tebows 1 TD pass? his receiver was running a flat route and was wide open. Tebow's throwing motion almost made this an incomplete pass or a one yard gain short of the endzone. The ball was thrown short of the goaline and the receiver struggled to make it into the endzone for the score.
I've seen the video Tebow did with Coach Gruden over the summer in which they both said that the progress he has made is remarkable. I was not that impressed. Tebow's delivery was still slow because he was focusing so hard on form that it took a while for him to get the ball out of his hands. When I watched him in preseason games his first throws of a game where good and then it was back to the same old throwing motion. He hasn't been allowed to throw a ball during the regular season because of this. He needs more time to make the right throwing motion for the pros his natural throwing motion. Until this happens he can be a good quarterback in the league, but like Byron Leftwich it won't last very long.
I agree 100% with your statement. I also, want to add that Tim Tebow is an amazing athlete and because of that over time he will learn to adapt an NFL throwing motion. I also think that if he spends a couple more seasons under Orton he will learn a great deal. Like you said Orton isn’t an amazing athlete in the NFLs eyes, but he is an amazing student of the game. He can pass that knowledge onto Tebow and help him mature as a person and a player. I think Tim has a good attitude and will in the long run make an impact on the team, but he needs more time to mature in to a proper NFL QB. I also hope we get a coach who will guide him not throw him to the dogs.
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